* Despite experiencing an unusually mild winter, an April 20 snowfall made it the second year in a row in which a 58-year-old snow record was broken. On April 20, 2011, about 14.3 cm of snow fell in the city, setting a new record that Sudbury was expected to break.

* The majority of Greater Sudbury secondary schools performed below the provincial average, according to the Fraser Institute's annual secondary school report card.

Ecole Secondaire catholique l'Horizon, a French, separate school in Val Caron, ranked the lowest in the region, with a score of 2.4 out of 10 and a 4.5 five-year average, making it 696th out of 718 Ontario schools.

Marymount Academy, part of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board, ranked the highest, getting 8.3 out of 10 and ranking 43rd of 718 schools, with an 8.4 five-year average.

* A near 50-minute car chase ended April 8 in the death of a 38-year-old woman fleeing police. OPP officers tried to stop a Mazda M3 during a routine traffic check south of Sudbury on Highway 69. The driver stopped at first, then drove away, starting a police chase. The woman eventually crashed into two OPP cruisers in the West Parry Sound area and died at the scene.

* Charles Sinobert said April 16 he planned to appeal his second-degree murder conviction in the stabbing death of his girlfriend in 2010.

Defence lawyer Berk Keaney said the verdict was unreasonable and couldn't be supported by evidence. A jury deliberated for more than 12 hours before finding Sinobert guilty of the murder and of possession of a weapon (knife) dangerous to the public peace.

* Sudbury took another step in building its reputation as Hollywood North. David Anselmo returned to Sudbury to convert the former Barrydowne Arena into the first film studio in Northern Ontario.

* A Sudbury legend, who left his mark on international hockey, died April 21. Jerome (Jerry) Toppazzini died after a short illness at age 80.

Toppazzini spent most of his playing and coaching days away from Sudbury, playing with his beloved Boston Bruins.

In 1977, Toppazzini bought the Belvedere Hotel on Lorne Street and converted it into the iconic Boston Bruins-themed sports bar and family restaurant, known as the Beef 'n Bird.

* Vale SA was reporting, April 25, that its first-quarter profits fell by nearly half from a year earlier because rains limited exports, prices for its main products fell and spending on new mining projects rose. Net income in the three months ended March 31 fell 44% to $3.83 billion compared with $6.83 billion a year earlier, the Rio de Janeiro-based company said in a filing to Brazil's securities regulator.

* The future of Sudbury Downs was looking uncertain in late April -- and still is -- after the March 27 provincial government announcement it was cancelling its Slots at Racetracks program March 31, 2013. The decision affects about 60,000 people in the horse-racing industry.